Of Mountains and Rivers 41

The sound of a horn came and went, teasing Chu Huan with its proximity before vanishing again.

Remaining calm, he gripped a short knife, relying on his ears to sense his surroundings. The darkness enveloped him, but he believed that Nanshan, a Mountain Keeper who possessed sharper senses, would be able to quickly react. 

This thought brought him comfort, even as he felt like the sole survivor in the darkness—an odd feeling of ease. Unlike most people, Chu Huan found solace in solitude. When alone, even in dire circumstances, he felt fearless.

Yet, the peculiar horn not only lured Chu Huan but also attracted more monsters. Soon, they encircled him, and he realized he had become a moving target. Thankfully, these foes lacked unity; their internal conflicts kept him from being crushed.

As Chu Huan navigated through the chaotic monster crowd, the horn, after a period of silence, sounded again, this time remarkably close. Voices accompanied it.

Yuan Ping’s urgent voice cut through, “Hurry, hurry!”

Chu Huan’s spirit leapt. “Yuan Ping? Can you hear me? Are the others with you?”

A momentary pause, then Yuan Ping’s enraged response, “Why are you sneaking around? It’s been nearly half a day! We thought you were gone!”

The sound of human voices brought Chu Huan a sense of familiarity. He was at the point of ignoring the content of the conversation.

“Move aside!” Yuan Ping shouted.

A commotion behind him followed. As Chu Huan prepared to evade, a hand reached out and groped around, finding him and clinging tightly.

In the darkness, Chu Huan touched Nanshan’s arm. But it felt sticky and cold, and Nanshan let out a muffled groan, still clutching Chu Huan.

Blood?

Before Chu Huan could ask, a fierce gust of wind swept over them.

Yuan Ping ordered, “Go!”

Chu Huan recognized the voices of several mountain keepers. None were missing, relieving his anxiety. Moments later, a burly figure brushed past him, the branches almost grazing his face.

Chu Huan tilted his head back, puzzled. They were cutting down trees?

Xiao Fang’s voice rang out, “Keep up, keep up! Patriarch, move faster!”

Yuan Ping, reluctant to waste time, blew his horn again to clear the way.

Reluctantly, Nanshan held Chu Huan for a moment longer before finally loosening his grip while still clutching Chu Huan’s wrist.

They followed the horn’s sound, while Xiao Fang and the others formed a line, carrying a massive tree together. They charged forward like a battering ram while Wooden Club set the pace, chanting “One Two One!” in Mandarin as it was too long and inconvenient to say in the Liyi language.

Yuan Ping had likely devised this plan, but it seemed he’d misjudged his comrades. Initially, everything sounded normal, but Wooden Club’s calls grew chaotic. “One Two One!” inadvertently became “One Two Three!,” and it spiraled from there—four, five, and even six followed, whereas seven was completely forgotten.

Wooden Club himself sensed something was off. He paused, realising he’d forgotten Yuan Ping’s instructions and was unable to correct them. So he resorted to random counting.

Yuan Ping, acting as the flag bearer and commander, teetered on the verge of collapse. “You can’t even count from one to two properly; I give up on you, Comrade!”

Fortunately, the Mountain Keepers’ combat prowess was exceptional. Once they found the rhythm, they abandoned counting and rarely strayed. They carried the massive tree, crashing through the monster horde like a series of car accidents, carving a bloody path through the forest.

Chu Huan and Nanshan provided cover from the sides to prevent the monsters from charging over and breaking the tree.

Using simple tactics to deal with less intelligent monsters surprisingly worked.

With Yuan Ping’s impressive sound effects guiding them, those who had adjusted to the darkness felt as if they had discovered a guiding light in the chaos. They rolled and crawled, looking disheveled. Finally, as they broke free from the eerie forest, the eastern sky began to brighten.

“Don’t push too hard; it’s stuck!”

“Let go, let go!”

“Can we open our eyes now? Are they still chasing us?”

Chu Huan had already opened his eyes. They had reached the forest’s edge; not far behind, the monsters were still roaring. Yuan Ping and the others were carrying a tree that had been cut in half. Due to a lack of time to trim the branches, the dense foliage got wedged between two closely growing trees.

Nanshan said, “It’s safe now; you can open your eyes.” 

The four of them sighed in relief and opened their eyes, dropping the large tree to the ground.

Chu Huan said, “If we need to rest, let’s not do it here as it’s not safe. Let’s keep moving forward and find a hidden place. Wait, Da Shan, what happened to your eyes?”

Da Shan, the young boy, had his long, curly lashes stuck together with blood, and his eyes could only open a little. He weakly showed a glimmer of white in his eyes. His face was pale, and he managed a smile at Chu Huan but couldn’t speak anymore.

“He was blinded by an Eye-Feasting Beast,” Yuan Ping explained as he propped Da Shan’s arm on his shoulder. 

“Luckily, we were far away. Let’s not worry about it for now. I’ll carry him on my back. Let’s move quickly.”

It was at this point that Chu Huan finally learned the accurate name of the monster. They hurriedly retreated, following the faint light, while listening to Yuan Ping and Xiao Fang share their experiences in a jumble of voices.

It turned out that these unfortunate individuals had faced even more challenges. They initially encountered a chaotic mob of Flat People and Mutayi, who fought indiscriminately. Yuan Ping took the horn from that group.

After dealing with this wave of enemies, they followed the river downstream. Perhaps it was an unlucky day according to the almanac, as Yuan Ping and his companions’ luck had reached a certain level of decline. They had just managed to escape from Mutayi when they unexpectedly encountered the Sound Beasts head-on. The beasts pursued them relentlessly, forcing them into this forest.

“This is my fault,” Yuan Ping admitted, rubbing his nose. “I misjudged and thought those two Sound Beasts were in a hurry to find someone to devour. I didn’t expect that they were actually fleeing for their lives.”

Chu Huan nodded. “It’s okay, I understand. You’re afraid of geckos and would even panic at the sight of a snake, so it’s understandable that you would struggle when facing such large reptiles.”

With his weakness mercilessly exposed, Yuan Ping was instantly embarrassed. “That’s bullshit!”

Chu Huan chuckled. They were in a life-or-death situation, with numerous wounds on his body and drenching sweat chilling him in the morning breeze. The feeling was indescribable, but he still had the mood to laugh and tease Yuan Ping. He had a long-lost sense of anticipation. He knew that, ahead, there were mostly difficulties and dangers, yet that irrational sense of anticipation lingered.

In the dark sky, a faint ray of light emerged from the east, signaling the imminent dawn.

Nanshan said, “Alright, stop arguing. What happened next?”

“When we entered the forest, it felt like we were being watched by something. The area around us kept rustling. It felt strange because the sound was too regular, initially resembling insects or birds,” Yuan Ping said, “We decided to retreat, but it was too late. Those creatures had set up an ambush, waiting for us to fall into their trap.”

Considering the size of the Eye-Feasting Beasts, Yuan Ping and his companions were probably not even big enough to get stuck in their teeth. So, setting up such a serious ambush was likely not for them but for the large Sound Beasts.

The Eye-Feasting Beasts must’ve reached the limits of their species’ intelligence before setting up such a trap, which Yuan Ping and the others unintentionally fell into.

“The main thing is that no one expected Eye-Feasting Beasts to be there. Da Shan’s eyes were blinded when one suddenly appeared, which was also when we realized something was wrong. We didn’t dare open our eyes, so we hid separately. I could only leave a mark for you all blindly, but before I finished drawing, I was dragged away.”

Chu Huan asked, “Dragged away?”

Xiao Fang interrupted angrily, “They used one Eye-Feasting Beast as bait. We sensed something around us, so we closed our eyes. But then, the well-prepared Eye-Feasting Beasts suddenly appeared from behind and dragged us away. Usually, Eye-Feasting Beasts act alone – we’ve never seen such a large group. We were completely caught off guard! My hair even got tangled in a tree branch. That creature got agitated and tried to cut off my head. I had to cut my hair to free myself. Vanity comes at a price.”

Nanshan inquired, “Where did they take you?”

“We were taken to a tree hollow. It was wide and deep,” Yuan Ping explained. 

“It was in the deepest part of the forest, and they had sent three of the largest Eye-Feasting Beasts to guard it. The hollow was filled with various dried corpses, probably where they stored their winter food.”

Yuan Ping’s throat twitched, possibly due to hunger, and he involuntarily licked his lips.

Wooden Club had a slightly injured leg but could still run without difficulty. The mischievous child’s voice chimed in, “Afterward, we broke off the arms and legs of the dried corpses. With our eyes closed, we threw them at the Eye-Feasting Beasts in the dark. One of them, guarding the hollow’s entrance, stuck its head in and roared at us. The other two thought it was trying to steal their food, so they started fighting.”

So, they managed to kill three monsters with the help of two dried corpses?

Xiao Fang continued, “We took advantage of the chaos and ran away. On the way, we encountered a large group of Eye-Feasting Beasts. Da Shan said he heard the sound of knives, so we suspected you two had also entered. We hurriedly came over. Fortunately, our Gatekeeper comrades were still blowing the horn.”

As they spoke, they ran for more than ten kilometers without a break before finally finding a natural cave.

Chu Huan carefully inspected the cave’s every nook and cranny, ensuring there were no dangers inside. It seemed that no unidentified creatures were nearby for the time being.

Once inside the cave, they all collapsed, exhausted and battered. They were in a sorry state. After catching their breath, they wasted no time and began examining Da Shan’s eyes.

Chu Huan only knew from Nanshan that an Eye-Feasting Beast cannot be directly looked at; hence, out of caution, he rarely opened his eyes during their travel here. He had no idea how powerful the Eye-Feasting Beasts could be. 

Until he finally saw Da Shan’s eyes. 

“This kid reacted quite quickly,” Yuan Ping said, “He immediately recognized that it was an Eye-Feasting Beast. However, it was still too late.”

Chu Huan gently touched Da Shan’s eyelid, applying very little pressure, yet Da Shan still trembled slightly.

Chu Huan asked, “How far left?”

“At least another ten meters,” Yuan Ping estimated before turning to Nanshan. “Hey, Patriarch, do you think this kid will go blind?”

Nanshan gestured for Xiao Fang and Wooden Club to hold Da Shan’s head. 

“Can you see the light of dawn?”

Da Shan hesitated for a moment, then nodded. 

“I see light.”

“Good, he won’t go blind,” Nanshan sighed with relief. 

Despite Da Shan’s youth, he was reliable. Despite his disheveled appearance, he managed to keep the food and medicine they had carried.

Nanshan retrieved a small, ancient-looking box from his medicine bag. The box appeared quite old. Nanshan carefully sniffed the medicine inside. 

“Hold him down, dissolve this in clean water, and flush the wounds directly.”

Wooden Club promptly went outside to fetch water, but Xiao Fang was worried. 

“Patriarch, can he endure it?”

Nanshan reassured Da Shan by patting his head. 

“He has to endure it. If he can’t, he’ll go blind.”

Young Da Shan nodded with great difficulty.

However, making a promise was one thing – carrying it out was another. Moments later, a heart-wrenching scream echoed through the cave.

Nanshan remained unfazed. 

“Hold him down.”

Yuan Ping and Wooden Club held Da Shan’s body while Xiao Fang held his head, muffling his cries to prevent attracting unwanted attention. The medicine continuously flowed from Nanshan’s hand into Da Shan’s eyes. Initially, dark blood flowed from the wounds during the flushing, but gradually, it turned lighter and redder.

Da Shan lay motionless like a fish out of water, the muscles in his neck stiffened with tension.

Yuan Ping couldn’t bear to watch anymore and asked, “Is it working yet? How much longer will this take? It’s like using pepper spray in Zhazidong¹!”

Before he could finish speaking, Da Shan gasped for air and passed out.

Nanshan ignored it and continued his actions until the medicine flowing out of the wounds turned a faint pink color. He then stopped and opened Da Shan’s eyelids to check.

The blood vessels in the boy’s eyes were gone, but a haze still covered his eyeballs.

Nanshan carefully sprinkled powdered medicine evenly on Da Shan’s eyes and instructed Xiao Fang to wrap them with a leaf. 

“He should be fine now.”

After saying that, Nanshan looked up and noticed that Chu Huan was watching him. He got momentarily distracted and his gaze involuntarily settled on Chu Huan’s lips, almost as if savoring a taste.

Nanshan realized he wanted to experience that taste again, but then he snapped back to reality, feeling somewhat embarrassed. He lowered his head slightly, not sure to whom he was explaining. 

“He’s still young. All of the warriors in our clan have been through this. It will get better with more experience.”

Chu Huan quietly pulled up his sleeve, revealing a wound about ten centimeters long on Nanshan’s forearm, exactly where their hands had been tied together. 

Perhaps when the rope broke, this person stubbornly didn’t avoid the Eye-Feasting Beast’s claws and blindly reached out to search for him.

Nanshan stared at Chu Huan’s hand. “It doesn’t hurt.”

The look of madness was obvious in the Patriarch’s eyes. Other than the blind young man, Da Shan, the remaining three people felt as if they were illuminated by the Eye-Feasting Beast’s evil light.

Wooden Club and Xiao Fang exchanged glances. Although Xiao Fang was already grown, he seemed surprisingly oblivious, but it was different for Wooden Club. Despite his inability to count properly, he had been with a handful of thieves and wicked intentions.

Wooden Club unexpectedly elbowed Xiao Fang, causing him to blurt out, “Patriarch, what’s wrong with your eyes? Why are they so blank?”

Nanshan: “…”

Wooden Club burst into laughter that sounded a lot like chicken clucking, while Yuan Ping, as if suffering from a toothache, covered his face and turned away.

Nanshan felt a bit awkward and stood up, going to wash his wound by the small stream nearby.

Yuan Ping looked at Chu Huan and coughed dryly, wanting to ask a question. However, he opened and closed his mouth several times without sound. Although Yuan Ping had known Chu Huan for a long time, they mostly interacted indirectly. The exception was when they treated each other as if they were invisible. They hadn’t reached the point of inquiring about each other’s love lives.

On one hand, Yuan Ping didn’t want to appear like an uncultured busybody in front of Chu Huan. On the other hand, he was itching to know. The conflicting emotions frustrated him, leaving him with no outlet. So, without any reason, he provocatively pointed at the torn shirt and the bloody wounds on Chu Huan’s body. 

“Look at you; you’re like a walking Stars and Stripes, a traitor selling out for a penny!”

Chu Huan, exhausted, looked at him and said, “Idiot.”

Chu Huan stood up and tore off the shirt that couldn’t be worn anymore, revealing a back covered in crisscrossed wounds. He half-lowered his eyes; his eyelashes were slender, and his muscles twitched slightly. The previously refined and almost ascetic person suddenly exuded a wild aura.

Yuan Ping’s forehead twitched nervously, vaguely feeling the painful sensation of stitches being sewn in a split.

Nanshan happened to come in from outside, but he didn’t appreciate this kind of edgy and brainless violence. When he saw Chu Huan’s back, he quickly walked over, feeling overwhelmed by the bloodstains on Chu Huan’s pale skin.

“Why is it so severe?” Nanshan said. “Sit down, don’t move. Don’t you know you’re different from us?”

As he spoke, Nanshan swiftly took out medicine from his bag and used a clean leaf to hold water. He knelt beside Chu Huan.

Chu Huan’s attempt at being cool was in vain as he said, “It’s alright, there’s no need to- Hiss.”

The sharp, stinging pain from the brain paste cut into his words.

Nanshan’s actions immediately paused, and upon hearing Chu Huan’s cry of pain, his heart clenched. “Does it hurt?”

In stark contrast, Yuan Ping was joyfully saying, “Haha, the creature’s brain paste cures all kinds of discomfort.”

Chu Huan glanced at Nanshan and then looked at Yuan Ping, feeling exasperated. 

“Thank the Heavens and Earth.”

After a discussion with everyone, Nanshan made the final decision to temporarily rest in the cave for a day.

After Nanshan finished treating Chu Huan’s wounds, he flipped him over and found that they only had dry rations with them. So Chu Huan picked up his bow and arrows, intending to explore the surrounding area for some game.

Yuan Ping said, “Great! I want to eat rabbit, fish, and roasted…”

Chu Huan didn’t even lift his head and pretended not to hear.

Nanshan became hypersensitive to his every move. As soon as Chu Huan made a move, Nanshan stood up nervously and said, “I’ll go with you.”

Yuan Ping waved his hand casually and said, “Patriarch, let him go by himself. He won’t die.”

Chu Huan turned around and solemnly gestured for Nanshan to come. “Alright, let’s go.”

Upon seeing the gesture, Yuan Ping initially wanted to roll up his sleeves and engage in a 300-round fight with Chu Huan. However, witnessing Chu Huan’s rapid change of expression, he suddenly felt uneasy.

Finally, he reluctantly squatted on the side, thinking, What a world of difference!